Governor's Task Force in Duluth to Discuss Bullying

By
KBJR News 1

June 12, 2012Updated Jun 12, 2012 at 9:41 PM CDT

DULUTH, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) - Members from the Governor's Task Force for the Prevention of Bullying were in Duluth tonight to hear from students, educators and community members about the disturbing trend of bullying

The Task Force is working to collect information to find out best practices and examine existing policies when it comes to bullying.

Those in attendance tonight shared ideas and experiences of what they see at home and in the classroom, as well as social media.

The task force will then take the information and come up with recommendations to the Governor and legislature.

Currently, Minnesota does not have a common policy on bullying that every school district needs to follow or be accountable to.

That's one piece of legislation that this task force may be able to help create.

"One of the things that we hope to benefit from is the wisdom of policies that are in other states, that are currently being implemented so that we can determine which policies will work best for Minnesota," said Walter Roberts, Co-Chair of the Task Force.

Representatives from Duluth and Proctor, students, teachers and parents were in attendance among others.

While many personal stories were told Tuesday, leaders said many of the core issues and recommendations community members are making such as taking action, listening, education, empowering students and keeping parents informed have been common links across the state at other listening sessions.